Sir Ian McKellen is marking 30 years since he publicly came out as gay.

Sir Ian came out during a BBC Radio 3 interview, during a discussion about the controversial Section 28, a local government bill that banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality or showing gay relationships as normal.

The programme was first broadcast on January 27, 1988, when Sir Ian came out as gay during a debate with conservative journalist Peregrine Worsthorne, and the actor took to Twitter yesterday (January 27) to mark the anniversary 30 years on.

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I’ve never met a gay person who regretted coming out – including myself. Life at last begins to make sense, when you are open and honest. Today is the 30th anniversary of the BBC radio discussion when I publically said I was gay. So I’m celebrating!

Since publicly coming out, Sir Ian, who is now 77 years-old, has been a prominent LGBTQ activist, co-founder of UK LGBT rights lobby group Stonewall, and is also patron of London Pride and LGBT History Month.

The actor has opened up previously about the abuse he received after coming out as gay, saying he received a "barrage of death threats" following his decision to publicly come out.

"Society treated us unfairly and cruelly, without thought and without compassion, and made the world a worse place," he told Owen Jones in a 2016 interview.

"Have you ever met anybody who came out, and was honest about their sexuality, who regretted it?

"It is astonishing. It is totally positive, it is totally for the good of yourself, your friends, your family, and society."